Lyoto Machida responds after being called out by Luke Rockhold at Karate Combat 45: “The Dragon is already breathing fire!”

Former UFC light heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida might be nearing a fighting comeback against Luke Rockhold in Karate Combat.

Rockhold knocked out Joe Schilling at Karate Combat 45 last weekend in Dubai. He returned to the combat sports win column after a loss to Mike Perry in his bare-knuckle debut last year.

After knocking out Schilling, Rockhold called out Machida for his next Karate Combat fight. Machida hasn’t fought since May 2022 but has hinted at a potential fighting return in recent months.

Rockhold and Machida fought during their UFC primes with Rockhold submitting Machida with a rear-naked choke in April 2015. Rockhold then defeated Chris Weidman for the UFC middleweight title in his next fight at UFC 194.

At 45 years old, Machida is still as competitive as ever and seems keen on entertaining Rockhold’s rematch offer.

Lyoto Machida responds to Luke Rockhold’s callout

In a recent Instagram story post, Machida appeared to accept Rockhold’s rematch callout.

“‘The Dragon’ is already breathing fire,” Machida said. “‘The Dragon’ is already breathing fire since they announced this challenge. Now, get to the right numbers, let’s get a date, and see when we’re having this dog fight.”

If Machida returns to fighting, he’ll look to snap a four-fight losing streak, after a series of defeats in Bellator. He was most recently knocked out by Fabian Edwards at Bellator 281.

Machida earned the UFC light heavyweight title by knocking out Rashad Evans at UFC 98. He went on to defend the belt against Shogun Rua before losing to Rua in their immediate rematch at UFC 113.

Rockhold’s Karate Combat contract is reportedly for multiple fights, and a clash with Machida could come to fruition by the end of 2024. Rockhold’s shown no signs of slowing down his activity level despite a rocky end to his UFC tenure.

If Machida and Rockhold run it back inside the Karate Combat pit, fans can expect fireworks, similar to their first matchup inside the UFC Octagon.